Finder for photogaphic purposes



April 27, 1943. H. SAUER FINDER FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC' PURPOSES or gi al- Filed Sept. 10, 1938 INVEN OR. BY ffans Saur W/M Patented Apr. 2 7, 1943 umreo STATES PATENT] OFFICE FINDER ron PHOTOGRAPHIC PURPOSES Hans -Sauer, Dresden, Germany; vested in the Alien Property Custodian Original application September .10, .1938, Serial- No. 229,299. Divided and this application April 25, 1941, Serial No. 390,215. In Germany September 21, 1937 2 Claims.

The invention relates to improvements in finders for photographic purposes, and is a division of my patent application Serial No. 229,299filed on the 10th day of September, 1938, in the United States Patent Oflice, which has matured into Patent No. 2,244,505 of June 3, 1941. In par ticular, the invention is directed to finders which indicate correctly in advance that portion of the scene which will be projected by the camera objective on the negative. This desirable result can only be attained in a perfect manner when;

it is possible to observe distinctly together with the scene to be photographed certain marks indicating the boundary of the picture area.

the shape of a concave mirror, as in the known Albada finder, which produces the boundary marks of the picture in a plane in which at the same time the scene to be photographed can be viewed sharply. g

The first mentioned finders for telescopes have the disadvantage that the required number of optical elements is substantial and that these finders on account of their large size are not adapted to be installed in a camera, because the available space in a camera is limited. The principal disadvantage of the Albada finder is that the illumination of the picture boundajry marks, which are arranged in rear of the semi-transparent surface, is insufficient, especially when the light is pale, as for instance when indoor pictures are to be made. 1

It is now an object of the present invention to provide a finder which overcomes the disadvantages of the finders heretofore employed by providing optical means for producing the picture boundary marks and a. picture of the scene to be photographed in a single plane in such a manner that the finder shows clearly and distinctly that portion of the scene will appear on the negative.

Another object of the invention is to combine the finder with a. range finder, so that a single ocular is sufiicient to observe both the scene to' be photographed and the indication of the range finder.

It is also an object of the invention to employ for 'the purposes of making the picture boundary marks better visible in the picture field of the finder certain means which differentially influence' geometric optigally the light beams producing the picture of the boundary marks and the scene to be photographed respectively.

The present invention provides so to speak, a light switch having the efiect that only the light rays'omitted from the picture boundary marks pass through optical means serving to produce images of these boundary marks and then are conducted into the eye of the observer. It is immaterial, as far as the principle of the invention is concerned, how the optical means used for the reproduction of the picture boundary marks is formed.

The present invention may be employed in collimat'drsT in the form of a lens whose curved surface has a plane face ground thereon or is' provided with a central bore, as for instance is disclosed in the German patent specification 387,251. The invention may also be employed in collimators in the formsof a half-lens orthe like, as disclosed by way of example in the German patent specification 350,186. In fact, the invention may be applied to numerous other finder arrangements.

. Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the iollowing description with reference to the drawing which illustrates diagrammatically and by way of example a few embodiments of the invention."

In the drawing:

- Eigs .-1 and 2 illustrate in longitudinal section and endelevation respectively, a finder in which polarizingfilters are employed, and

Fig. 3 illustrates diagrammatically a finder of the present invention in combination with a base range finder.

Referring to Fig. 1, the casing l oi the finder is provided in its rear wall-with an ocular open ing 2 and in its front wall with a field opening "in which the picture area indicating means are formed by polarizers used in the form of conventional foils. In the field opening of the finder casing l is mounted a polarizing filter 12 having the shape ofa rectangular frame which forms the border of the picture.

Within this frame a rectangular polarizing filter plate or foil I3 is arranged which covers the picture area of the finder. The polarizing planes of the filters I2 and I3 preferably are positioned at a right angle with respect to each other, but at any rate cross each other and are not" parallel. At the ocular opening 2 of the finder a piano-convex lens 8 is arranged. -In front of the annular convex surface of the lens 8 is mounted an annular polarizer ll, whose polarizingplane is parallel to the polarizing plane of the polarizer l2. The result of this arrangement is that a light ray I5 passing through the picture area is polarized by the polarizer [3, passes unobstructed through the biplanar center portion of the ocular lens 6 and reaches the eye A of the observer.

A light ray l6 which also passes through the polarizer l3, but strikes the annular polarizer l4, however, is absorbed owing to the crossed polarizing planes of the polarizers l3 and I4. Only light rays ll which are polarized by the framelike polarizer I2 and strike the annular polarizer l4, whose polarizing plane is parallel to that of polarizer i2, can pass through the polarizer I4. The light rays 11 are then directed by the convex portion of the ocular lens 6 into the eye A of observer and produce in this manner a bright border around the picture area in the finder.

Fig. 2 is an elevation view of the field aperture of the finder and illustrates the shape and arrangement of the two polarizing filters l2 and I3 Since the finder arrangement of the present invention absorbs less light than a finder with semi-transparent reflective faces, the finder of the invention is particularly well adapted to be combined with the base range finder. The combination of such a picture finder with the range finder may be accomplished in such a manner that the ocular aperture of the picture finder forms at the same time the ocular aperture of the range finder.

Fig. 3 illustrates such a picture finder and range finder combination, in which the picture finder is'constructed as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and therefore similar parts of the same are pro-' vided with the same reference characters. It will be noted that one end of the mirror base 20, 2| of the range finder-namely the one provided with the angularly positioned semi-transparent reflecting face 22-is arranged between the polarizers l2, l3 and the ocular lens 6 of the picture finder. The optical members for deflecting the measuring rays of the range finder are designated with 23 and 24 and are arranged in an opening 25 of the front wall. 26 of the casing I". The front wall 26 is, also provided with the field opening 3 in which the polarizers l2 and I3 of the picture finder are mo d. Since base range finders of this type and i; eir operation are well known a more detailed description is believed not necessary.

The boundary or border marks appearing in the finder may also be used for determining the center of the picture or any other desired points of the object to be photographed. It is for instance possible to employ the finder of the present invention to advantage in target practicing devices for aerial cameras and the like.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a picture finder, of

a range finder, including a casing having a front wall provided with a two laterally spaced aper- 5 tures, light polarizing means closing one of said apertures and comprising two polarizing foils mounted in the same plane with their polarizing planes crossing each other, one of said polarizing foils forming the picture area of the picture finder and the other a picture boundary frame surrounding said picture area, said casing having a rear wall provided with an ocular opening in axial alinement with the opening which is closed by said polarizing means, a piano-convex ocular lens at the said ocular opening for observing the indications of both said finders, means forming the base of said range finder mounted in said casing, means for varying the measuring rays mounted in the other aperture in said front wall, said base forming means being provided with a semi-transparent reflecting face mounted between said polarizing means and said ocular lens, the center portion of said ocular lens being biplanar for permitting an observation of the picture appearing in the picture area in natural size, and an annular polarizing filter in front of the marginal planes crossing each other, one of said polarizing foils forming the picture area of the picture finder and the other a picture boundary frame 40 surrounding said picture area, said casing having a rear wall provided with an ocular opening in axial alinement with the opening which is closed by said polarizing means, a plano-ocular lens at the said ocular opening for observing the indications of both said finders, means forming the base of said range finder mounted in said casing, means for varying the measuring rays mounted in the other aperture in said front wall, said base forming means being provided with a semi-transparent reflecting face arranged between said polarizing means and said ocular lens, and being mounted closer to' said ocular lens than to said polarizing means, the center portion of said ocular lens being biplanar for permitting an observation of the picture appearing inthe picture area in natural size, and an annular polarizing filter in front of themarginal convex face of said ocular lens, the polarizing plane of said annular polarizing filter being parallel with respect to the polarizing plane of the fllter'forming the 'picture boundary frame.

. HANS sauna. 

